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spirit_n	lord_n	people_n	word_n	7,267	5	4.0951	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44804	The popish inquisition newly erected in New-England whereby their church is manifested to be a daughter of mysterie Babylon which did drink the blood of the saints, who bears the express image of her mother, demonstrated by her fruit : also their rulers to be in the beasts power upon whom the whore rideth, manifested by their wicked compulsary laws against the lamb and his followers, and their cruel and bloody practises against the dear servants of the Lord, who have deeply suffered by this hypocritical generation : some of their miserable sufferings for the testimony of Jesus, declared as follows and some of their unjust and vvicked laws set down ... / published by a lover of mercy and truth, and an enemy to envy and cruelty, Francis Howgill.	Howgill, Francis, 1618-1669.; Copeland, J. R. (John R.); Hodgson, Robert.; Norton, Humphrey, fl. 1655-1659.; Rous, John, d. 1695.	1659 (1659)	Wing H3177; ESTC R14218	58,023	78

believe in the light which Christ hath lighted every man withall that people might wait to receive power from on high again which all the sons of Adam hath lost in the transgression that as many as receive the power may come out of the transgression and for this end hath God chosen and seperated many contrary to their own Wills and from whatsoever was dear unto them in the outward to deny it all and to answer the pure motion of Gods spirit whither soever he leadeth and in so doing many have found the power and presence of the Lord going with them and before them and he hath prospered his own Work in their hands and hath brought many out of Sodom and Aegypt and out of Mystery Babylon to Christ the Mysterie and to the Mysterie of Faith which is held in a pure Conscience And we were not ignorant of this what opposition we should receive from Antichrist and his Ministers Satan and his Messengers and how that the whole World lay in Wickedness and how that Nations Kindreds Tongues and People had drunk the Whores Cup and how that all hirelings deceivers false prophets and seducers would withstand Neither were we ignorant that the Beasts power which got up in the Throne of Iniquity and exaltation since the Man-child was caught up unto God the Woman fled into the Wilderness wherein he hath compelled all both small and great to worship him Neither were we ignorant of his strength and of his great Authority that he had in the Nations and how that the Whore the false Church rode upon him and also we knew that the Nations were as Waters nor of the great Waves which would lift up themselves nor of the multitude of Merchants which makes merchandize of souls for dishonest gain who are greedy of filthy lucre nor of the multitude of ships in which they carry their merchandize and deceitful Ware neither was the servants of the Lord who hath thus deeply suffered as I shall hereafter make mention of the Spirit that ruled in the Professors and Teachers of New-England Notwithstanding all this which was seen before we consulted not with flesh and blood but was obedient to the heavenly call and stood given up to the Lord in life or in death to finish the Testimony which God hath put into our hands that so many may be brought to know the living God revealed in themselves that so they with us and we with them may rejoice in him who is becoming the King and Law-giver and the exceeding great reward of all his People To whom be glory for ever and ever Amen And now Reader I shall give thee a plain and true account of the grievous proceedings of the Rulers of New-England and the miserable sufferings of the Servants of the Lord whereby thou mayest see the Divinity of New-England by the fruits and effects it brings forth the Laws by which they rule their Nation not to be according to the Law of God nor according to that which is equal in every mans conscience for that Law takes hold upon the transgressor but not the innocent and because of unrighteous Rulers and Laws many up right-hearted people in that Nation mourns The grievous Suffering of Robert Hodshon by the Governor of the Dutch Plantation in New-England I Robert Hodshon being moved of the Lord to go to New-England to declare the Word of Truth made known by his Spirit was obedient thereto who after a prosperous Voyage arrived at Long-Island where our own Countrey people did inhabit under the Dutch Jurisdiction finding drawings and two more with me we left the ship and passed to a place called Gravesend wher● our Testimony was received From thence we passed to a Town called Semico where we were received with gladness so we passed to another Town called Hampstead where we were received also so I being left in the Town at a Friends House the other two being passed away the next day being the first day I passing to another Friends House and some Friends following me into an Orchard where we had thoughts to have met together I being walking alone there came a man from the Magistrate and laid hold of me and haled me to the Magistrate and kept me a prisoner in his own house while he himself went to his Worship many staid and heard the Truth the fore-part of the day declared After he came home and see so many with me and could not stop my mouth he wrote a ●ittimus and gave another man charge to keep me at his house so the latter part of the day I had many came to me and those that had been mine Enemies after they had heard Truth confest to it So that Magistrate that committed me took his Horse and rode away to the Dutch Governor to make his complaint but the other Magistrate and most part of the Town would not joyne vvith him against me but some few of the ruder sort There was I kept a prisoner till the Governor of the Dutch sent a Guard of twelve Musketiers and the Gaoler and the Sheriff came about twenty miles so I was committed to them and they searched me and took away my Knife Books and Papers and pinioned me vvith Cords the next morning they took two Women one having a young child sucking and committed them also and more if they could have found them and thus they entertain strangers in New-England And then a Warrant vvent forth to bring those people that did receive us and so he fined them and commanded them to pay within six Weeks or else depart the Jurisdiction and one man he committed and laid Irons upon him and fined each of them three pounds So I being pinioned till I came near vvhere the Dutch vvere being tyed vvith a Rope to a Cart-tayle thorough the Woods near 30. miles and then I vvas cast into a Dungeon so odious as I never savv for vvet dirt and nasty stink and the next day I was brought to Examination and an English Captain there to interpret and took in Writing in their ovvn Language committing me again to the Dungeon suffering not any English to come to me The next Court calling me out again reading my Accusation in their Language the Captain interpreted some of my Accusation and thus said before the Court That it is the Generals pleasure seeing I did behave my self thus that I must pay 600. Gilders which is 50. pound or else to serve at a Wheel-barrow lock'd with a Chain I did ask him if I might give an Answer and they answered No but shut me up in a Dungeon So on the second day in the morning they took me forth and lockt me to the Wheel-barrovv amongst the slaves to work I told them I was never used to that work and they took a hard Ship-Rope near four Inches about and commanded a Black-More to beat me with it so he beat me so long till I fell down and the Sheriff commanded him to take me up again and

bottomles● pit by which Weapons he hath prevailed since the Lamb hath been slain and hath brought all the Creation into bondage which have been subject to his Authority which is out of the truth and he doth not onely make War against the Seed by whom salvation is revealed to the ends of the earth in them that believe in him but also he labours to destroy Gods Workmanship and to deface the creatures which God made and formed by the Word of his Power And thus all the sons of Adam in the transgression having shak't hands vvith the Prince of darkness doth fulfil his unrighteous Decrees being gone from the povver of God although man sees that the Way of the Serpent is unequal yet he hath not power to resist in that nature and so all are in captivity and bondage and slavery unto the noysome lusts which the Devil instigateth and suggesteth into the hearts of all the children of disobedience and so fruits of the flesh and of darkness is brought forth to the dishonor of the Lord of heaven and earth and herein the Devil rejoyceth and the seed of the evil-doer taketh delight and thereby his strength encreases by drinking in iniquity as Water he is nourish'd up in the reign of the shadovv of Death and strives to bring all thither to take up their habitation and to be servants to the Prince of the Ayre vvho vvas a Murderer from the beginning And so Adam when he had lost the Image of God and vvhen the heritage of God vvas laid waste in himself he begat a son in his own Image vvho vvas Cain a murderer who was of that wicked one that went out of Truth he rose up in envy slew Abel the just who was of the Seed And here 's the off-spring the fruit of the Seed of the Serpent for as God is love and all that are begotten by him live in love and all the creatures that he did make was to serve one another in love in the covenant of life and love in which they were made so the Devil lives in envy and all his children and leads into discord and perverteth all the creatures from that end which God made them to serve his end vvhose life stands in discord envy wrath and unrighteousness and whatsoever is evil and herein is the children of God made manifest and their Works and the children of the Devil and their Works they that love God loves the Workmanship of God and cannot hate his Brother but hath eternal life abiding in him but he that 's of the Devil destroys Gods Workmanship kills his Brother a man-flayer and hath not the love of God dwelling in him And this Seed of the Serpent hath spread it self forth over all the earth since the transgression both amongst Jews and Gentiles professors and prophane them that had the Law and them that were vvithout the Law them that have had the Scripture and them that had no Scripture and in that which is called Christendome as well as they which are called Heathens as well amongst the highest professors as amongst the grossest prophane in all times since the foundation of the World that the Lamb hath been slain and the seat of Iniquity raised up and this seed hath been made manifest by its fruits throughout all ages and times throughout all Nations Kindreds Tongues Regions Countreys and Kingdoms and by the fruit which is brought forth in New-England they themselves may read their stock and off-spring and fruits a little of which which is brought to light and evident hereafter I shall declare which when they come to view over their Work again shame may cover their faces and astonishment fill their hearts that such fruits should be brought forth by them who are so high professors of God in words and of the Scriptures to be the Rule of their obedience and Faith now shall you be tryed by the Scripture your Rulers your Teachers and your Church-members and the life of the Saints that gave forth the Scripture will stand a Witness against your Doctrines and cursed practises for evermore you may read your example Cain Herod Murderers Men of blood the persecuting Jews who were zealous for God as they thought who persecuted to death and said they had a Law and by that Law Christ ought to dye but you are worse then they for you had no Law which would take hold upon the righteous and faithful Witnesses of God till you had made one or invented one and digged down to Hell to ask counsel of the Prince of darkness your God And further you may read your example Nimrod who came of the stock of Ham who was cursed as well as the Serpent as well as Cain and your thoughts are vain like the thoughts of your fore-fathers the pharisees whom Christ prophesied of to his Disciples and said The time would come when they should hale them out of the Synagogues and persecute from City to City and sp●ak all manner of evil of them and should go about to kill them and yet think they did God service so void of understanding hath the seed of the Serpent alwayes been in all generations which Words of Christ is fulfilled among you professors of New-England who are thinking as they did that you do God service in killing his members and you are come to that time your fruits has made it manifest Oh! could you have believed in times past if it should have been told you that you above all people should be the greatest persecutors and exceeded in wickedness and cruelty and hard heartedness the Papists the Turks the Heathens who make little or no profession in comparison of you and yet that you should exceed them in rage cruelty and madness It is an abhorrency to all sober people you have stained the Earth and defiled your Land with blood and have caused the Name of the Lord of Heaven and Earth to be blasphemed among the Heathen by your wicked ungodly barbarous and brutish actions and you are in that nature and in their steps which kill'd the Prophets and mock't ●is Messengers and shamefull● entreated his servants upon whose heads all the blood shed from Abel to this day will be required But blessed be the Lord whose Arm hath been stretched forth and hath gathered thousands out of that nature which is cursed from God for ever and hath revealed his Salvation unto them and the everlasting Gospel which is to be preached again after the Apostacy and hath made us partakers of it to wit the Power of God and so we see unto whom the Arm of the Lord is revealed that all Nations since the Apostacy hath drunk of the Whores cup and are bewitch'd with her Sorceries and therefore according to the command of the Lord and the motion of his eternal spirit we have born our Testimony against the Apostates and Deceivers who retain the Words and has lost the life and power to the intent that all that

reign Then one of them said We were deceived and deluded Ans. If we were deluded and out of the way you had more need to pitty us then do as you do One of them said We pitty you while we punish you Mark the deceit of this Man Then after some more words wherein they call'd us bold boys and blasphemers J. Indicot said You come in a way and shew of love and humility and the spirit of meekness but you are such as Christ spoke of vvho outwardly have sheeps clothing but inwardly are ravening Wolves Ans Christ there speaks of a people very like your selves Then J I. made a speech unto us to this effect Exhorting us to make our peace with God saying That the way we walked in deceiving of people and speaking against Ministers and Ordinances and despising of Magistrates is the way that leads to hell and said the Boaster I speak from heaven but you will not believe me Answ. Nay we do not believe thee he who is a man of blood speaks from the pit of darkness where his residence and abode is but as for deceiving of people and speaking against Ministers of Christ and despising of Magistrates we are not guilty So they bid the Gaoler take us away the which he did and this is the substance of our Examination at that time Again on the tenth day of the same Month we were called before the Court And when we came before them the Deputy-Governor made a Speech to this effect These men have been formerly here and they have been sent avvay and though they know the Law yet are come again in contempt and to revile Magistrates and Ministers and to break all order in Churches and deceive the people and so what ever become of them whether loss of ears or loss of life your blood be upon your own heads Mark worse then Pilate and the envious Jews To which he vvas replyed you heap false accusations upon us and God will heap his judgements upon your heads and if we suffer either loss of member or loss of life our blood will be required at your hands for the Lord hath sent us hither J. I. said Prove that and said Christ's Messengers were to pray for them that persecuted them but you prophesie his judgements upon us We have not done any thing that deserves either death or bonds Then Indicot said You are greater Enemies to us then those that come openly while you come under pretence of peace to poyson the people Then one of us said It grieves me to hear thee speak so many false things Then they urged us to prove that we were sent of God Ans. That vvhich you do unto us doth prove that vve are sent of God for the same things that Christ said should be done to his Disciples by those that were contrary to him have you done unto us as vvhipping c. To vvhich Major Denison said Then evil-doers that are whipped suffer for Christ's sake To vvhich Iohn Rous replyed If we were evil-doers the judgements of God would he heavier upon us then that which we suffer by you but not being evil-doers we have peace with God and his peace keeps us above all sufferings To which Major Denison replyed Mr. Rous for so I may call you having heard your father is a Gentleman what judgement of God do you look for greater then is upon you then to be driven from your fathers house and to run about here as a vagabond with a company of deceivers except you look for a Halter or to be stricken with a Thunder-bolt Reader do but mark this Christian-Magistrate for so he would be called Joh. Rous said I was not driven from my Fathers House but in obedience to the Lord I left it and when the Lord shall have cleared me of this Land I shall return to it again Then J. Indi●●t called to the Secretary to read the Law then he read this Clause in it That if any that had suffered the Law should presume to return again they should have one of their ears cut off worse then the Jews when the Apostles came again into a City after they were commanded not to come yet when they came they cut not off their ears Then J. Indicot did as he used to do spoke many words in derision Then one of us said More gravity would become thee To which J. Indicot said Do you come to reprove us Major Denison said If you could shew unto us your commission as plain as we can shew you that you transgress our Law c. Reader take notice they had no Law at all when the Quakers came into New-England till they consulted with the Prince of darkness to make one Whether you believe us or no from the Lord we have received our command and his Spirit is our Seal Then J. Indicot said They have nothing to prove it by but the Spirit within them and that is the Devil Ans. Take heed of blaspheming the Spirit J. Indicot said You come in contempt Reply The Lord God who knows the hearts and reins of all mankind judge betwixt us and you whether we came in contempt So after some words we spake something to them concerning their Law and said We have seen some of your Laws that have many Scriptures in the Margent but what example have you in Scripture for cutting off ears J.I. said What Scripture have you for hanging then M. Denison said in way of derision Yes they would be crucified So they hastened the Governor to dispatch us quickly who spoke to the Secretary to read the Law to us three so he called us three by our Names and as he was going to read it the Governor and Magistrates whispered together and while we were expecting to have the Lavv read against us J. Indicot turned suddenly about and in great haste and bitterness passed his sentence upon us three in these Words It is the Sentence of the Court That you three shall have your right ears cut off by the Hangman Then we seeing their unjust proceedings against us and that they were both our Accusers and Judges we were stirred in Spirit to appeal to the chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of England the vvhich Appeal we made one by one but they made a light thing of it and hastened the Keeper to take us away so we were had away and put into the prison again and the same day was Laurence Southwick and Casandria his Wife and Josiah their Son called before their Court who had been prisoners in the house of Correction eleven Weeks for being taken in a Meeting at Salem who have been imprisoned here before So they began with them saying This man was a member and this Woman a member Then Josiah asked them What error he held They said You do believe and hold forth That there is that in every man that if he will he may be saved by it Josiah replyed There is no power in any mans Will to save

the holy Angels justifie and the Church of God It may be you will call this rebellion and so it is against the Prince of darkness from whence you have received your Authority Manifesting thereby their complying with those whose design is to overthrow the Order est●blished in Church and State every such person upon conviction before the said Court of Assistance in manner as abovesaid shall be committed to close prison for one Month and then unless they chuse voluntarily to depart this Jurisdiction shall give Bond for their good behaviour and appear at the next Court where continuing obstinate and refusing to retract and reform the foresaid Opinions shall be sentenced to banishment upon pain of death and any one Magistrate upon information given him of any such person shall cause him to be apprehended and shall commit any such person to prison according to his discretion until he come to tryal as abovesaid And here is an end of their wicked Law which must come to an end You that build up a Nation with iniquity and a Church so called with blood who layes traps for the feet of the innocent and makes Laws to destroy mens Estates and to banish men from the Earth which is the Lords and the fulness of it and furthermore makes Laws to destroy mens lives and shed blood Wo and Misery is to your Church and State and the righteous God of Heaven and Earth will plead the cause of the innocent and needy and overthrow that which you have established and if they will not recant as you call it which is to deny Christ before men then banishment and prisonment and their Estate wasted and they destroyed then you think you are secure your Laws is cursed your Religion cursed and your Enterprises cursed What is not your Gospel able to defend it self but you must take up the Beasts Weapons Cain's Weapons the murderer the Devil's Weapons to defend your Church and State carnal Weapons hellish Weapons the Dragons Weapons Hath your deceitful Merchants the hireling Priests made you believe that this is an Orthodox received Opinion They received this out of the bottomless pit and the Weapons with all that handle them shall go down thither again and the Lamb shall reign over the Beast and his followers though you have established wickedness by a Law and think your selves secure yet God will provoke you that the rottenness of your hearts may be brought forth and that all your deceit may be made manifest that all that fear the Lord may come out from amongst you for wo and misery shall compass your Tabernacle and the dread of God is against you And the next thing whereby the Devil and his Ministers fortifies themselves is certain Articles exhibited by them like the Popes Inquisition although they are full of ignorance and blasphemy and these they intend to impose upon any ●an and if they answer not according to their blind understandings then they say they are convicted as Hereticks and must be sent to prison and if they do not retract banished and whipped in the mean time and his Estate made havock on and then banished not to return upon pain of death and if he do return to be put to death and this is the fruit of their Orthodox received Principles and of the laudable custom of New-England And now I come to the Articles 1. If a●y person or persons besides their refusing to come to the publike Assembly of Divine Worship shall either deny the blessed Trinity of persons in the Divine Essence Ans. And is this one of your Orthodox received Articles Then the Pope is as Orthodox as you And what is there to be found or can be expected in your publike Assemblies amongst a company of envious men whose hearts are filled with envy whose hands are defiled with blood Divine Worship say you like Wolsey Bonner and that bloody crew Divine Service said they But you might more truly have said Humane invention and vain tradition And Trinity of persons in the Divine Essence Where learned you this Article from the Pope from the Mass Book Yet the Father Son and Spirit is owned and these three are one and the Father Word and Spirit and these are one but I challenge all you Orthodox Professors to shew me from Scripture where the Holy Ghost or Spirit is called a Person be ashamed of your ignorance ye illiterate men 2. Or shall den● the person of Christ to be distinct from the Father and the Holy Ghost or shall deny the Person of Christ to be distinct from every believer Ans. Do but mark the madness and confusion of these mighty Rabbies before there must be three persons in one Essence and now Christ must be distinct from the Father and the Holy Ghost before in God and now distinct from God this is damnable Doctrine which hath been brought in since the Apostacy for the Scripture saith God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself then how was he distinct from the Father when the Father was in him And I am in the Father and the Father in me and I and my Father are one Nay saith New-England Doctors They are distinct An● the fulness of the God head dwelt in him bodily Now prove you that the Father and the Holy Gbost are distinct from Christ Or how is Christ's Person distinct from every believer when he that is a believer hath him revealed in him and he that is a true believer eats his flesh and drinks his blood how is he then distinct What nearer union can there be exprest Is that distinct from a man that he hath in him But it may be they will say as the rest of the dreamers do he is in believers by his Spirit distinct from his body Then I say Christ is not divided for a person without a Spirit or distinct from the Spirit is not Christ but this blind Doctrine came up since the Apostles dayes and was counted as Orthodox by the Councels at Neece and Latteran a company of Apostates and hath been counted by the Beasts followers a great point of Divinity 3. Or deny the manhood of Christ to be a manhood distinct from the manhood of any other man A. The Man Christ Jesus who was of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh and the Son of God according to the Spirit his flesh is distinct from you who live in envy whose flesh is as the flesh of Horses and as the flesh of Dragons who devours you know not the holy flesh of Christ but the man of God doth who is born of the spirit and the flesh of Christ is his meat and they that believe in him are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh you ignorant dreamers how then is his flesh distinct But do you feed upon ashes as your Father doth the cunning Serpent for Gods Wisdom is hid from you 4. Or shall deny the Scripture or the written Word to be the Rule A. We own the

Scriptures which you ignorantly call the written Word as though all the Scriptures were but one word the Word is Christ which was revealed in the Saints which spake the words forth and he is the Way and the Rule of life to them that believe and his spirit is the leader and guider into all truth and the Rule of obedience and you are they that denies the Scriptures and the Rule of holy walking you own it in words and in works deny him witness all your forementioned deeds of darkness and hypocrites and dissemblers cryes Scripture is the Rule of Faith and Life when their life that they live stands in sin wickedness and deceit 5 Or shall openly revile either Church or State or Church-Worship Church-Officer or Ordinances Divine or the publike Assembly of the people of God to worship him according to the prescription of the Gospel A. Your Church and State Church-Officers and Ordinances and Assembly and your Worship is manifest to be a place where Dragons are who stings devours kills and destroys Gods Workmanship and he that speaks for you God will condemn him for he that justifies you justifies the wicked and that is an abomination to the Lord And let the Nation see your prescription in that which you call your Gospel where Christ commanded the Churches or gave his Disciples such prescripts as these If the rest of the Jews or Gentiles will not come to your Assemblies fine them 5 s. a day and 10. s. a day or 40. s. a Month and if any speaks anywhere in my Name but where you meet let him that speaks be fined 5. l. and if they will not pay fetch away their Goods Beasts Horses break open their Houses and take Hatchets and beat down their doors and take the names of them that meet and hale them to the Court and there fine them 5. l. a man and send them to prison and load their backs with stripes and whip them severely and if any refuse to doff his hat and will not say Reverend Mr. Peter and reverend Mr. Paul and reverend Mr. John or If it please you Mr. Mark or Mr. Andrew and Philip then go you to the Judgement-seat and tell the Magistrates and let them indict them and put in a great deal of aggravating words as Mutiny Sedition Insurrection Rebellion and the like and let them say unto them You are against the laudable custom of our Countrey and last of all banish them and if they return again put them to death and let them say as Richard Bellingham the Deputy-Governor of Boston said to John Copeland and John Rous and Christopher Holder We commanded these men not to come again but they are returned again in contempt of the Magistracy and Ministry and so whatsoever comes upon you loss of ears or loss of life your blood be upon your own heads I say Let the Regions know your Prescript in your Gospel and your Rule of life for these practises and then you will convince the Quakers and satisfie all people 6. Or shall entertain any such in a way of conventicle or private meeting or shall resort unto the conventicle of any such who are known refusers to come to the publike Worship of God in the publike Assembly A. These men would have banished Paul he was a man publikely known to refuse to go into the Temple and Synagogues except to lead people out of them and yet they have got his words in their mouths and these men would have imprisoned the Church of Corinth and Galatia and Thessalonica and the Church of Antioch for they met in houses and denyed the rest of the Synagogues of the Jews and the Temples of the Gentiles and they had private meetings and often by the sea-side Mountains and other places although Bishop Land be dead his spirit speaks and acts in New-England he made such Articles as these against Conventicles and told of the laudable Customs and Worship of the Nation but these men hath far exceeded him in cruelty they have done more wickednesse in one year then he in seven 7. Or shall openly contemn revile or disobey or disswade others from yeilding subjection to the Christian Magistrate as at present established in this Jurisdiction A. Shame and contempt is already come upon the Magistrates of that Jurisdiction and shall more and more encrease who rules not for God but for the Murderer and they who have established wickedness by a Law none can be subject to them nor their Laws for conscience-sake for they that do wrongs their own souls but rather bear their testimony against and suffer under it till God arise and plead their cause It may be they will call this Sedition and Rebellion 8. Or being questioned by lawful Aut●ority shall refuse to give direct Answers or plain to the aforementioned particulars together with their obstinate persisting in any of the premised D●linquencies A. So here is an end of the Inquisition if they will not give plain Answers then to prison but in plainness that is if they will not accuse themselves then to prison so whether answer or not answer directly or indirectly all 's one if they answer contrary to these Articles then Hereticks to prison and whip them and fine them 5. l. and if they will not accuse themselves but answer as the Lord shall give them to answer when asked by such tempters as these then they conclude their Answer is not plain but indirect and if they say nothing at all then conclude them guilty send them to prison cut off their ears whip them with Ropes whip them with Whips take their goods banish them from their Estates and Families and if they return put to death and then say Whether loss of ears or loss of life come to you your blood be upon your own heads Pilate was not clear though he said the like as Richard Bellingham O Lord arise and plead the cause of the poor of the flock for ungodly men is risen up in the pride of their hearts and blasphemes thy Name and thy Tabernacle and them that thou hast redeemed they seek to destroy Here follows a Narration of the sufferings of many godly people of Salem The particulars was sent from one Friend to another DEar Friend I sent thee in the last Information the Fines of the Court to be levied upon Friends which was 40. l. 15. s. but I was likely to have sent thee a larger sum the Marshal promised me a Copy but was not so good as his word for that which I saw in his hand which he hath Order to take I do believe will amount to above one hundred pounds He did secretly attach half of my house while I was in prison I never heard of it till now so when I heard of it I went to him to see whether it were so he told me he had done it and attached my ground about it and told me if I would pay about ten pounds I might have it

before another for he told me there had been two men with him to buy it and that he must forthwith get it prized by men and put it to sale so that I am not like to have so much as a passage to the back-side of my house and so by that means makes the rest uncapable at all to sell so that my house is like to be a standing-testimony in this place against them But in the Lord I rejoice that I have any thing to suffer the loss of for the Lord I did endeavour to have gotten a copy of the Fines to have sent thee before the Ship went but I am prevented Remember my love to thy Husband Friends here are all well From Salem the 26 of the 10th Month 1658. Thy Friend in the Truth Samuel Shattock Now all sober people take notice of the wickedness cruelty and madness of these Rulers and Church-members who are thus filled with rage and envy who hath made and enacted all these wicked Laws and moreover have put them in execution and have imprisoned many a long time over and over and whipped them again and again and knocked down their doors haled men out of their own houses from their Families and Estates and have fined them 5. s. a day and 10. s. a day and 5. l. a day and have wasted their Estates spoiled their goods tear their flesh with knotted Whips men and women of great age cut off the ears of some burnt some with hot Irons set them in the stocks bound some neck heels in Irons 16. hours beaten with pitcht ropes detained all air from them shut them up in nasty holes not suffering them to have any lively sustenance for many dayes and last of all banish them take away their money by force and give it to their butcherly Marshal to banish them if return death then say Whether loss of members or loss of life come upon you your blood be upon your own heads and hath seized upon their Beasts Pots Kettles Houses and Lands for their Fines which they have most wickedly imposed for all this barbarous cruelty inhumane dealing nothing they have against any of the forementioned sufferers but because they will not worship this bloody Spirit nor put off the hat nor give flattering words to their Equals and because they will not come to their Assemblies and join in hypocrisie with this envious perverse generation in this their hypocritical Worship all these forementioned things hath been acted upon them and these are the horrid tenents and the seditious practises they so much cry out of Do you think that this is like to make people close with you and own your Assemblies to be true Churches of Christ Nay though your deceit was never so apparently manifest as now some might be deceived and judge you were a pure reformed Church in the time of their ignorance now who are but moderate cannot but see you a synagogue of Satan and a Cage of uncleanness and cannot but seperate from you as the believers did from your fore-fathers the Jews who cryed up their Temple and Ordinances and Assemblies and the Law and yet slew the Heir and did unto his Servants then as you do now and just as they thought they did God service if they brought them into bondage and did kill them and persecute them even as you do now I say they fulfil the Scripture in this and upon that generation all the blood was required and you are in the same footsteps you have forgotten the Law of God Even as you would that men should do unto you do ye even so to them Would you be so dealt with Would you be whipt again and again with knotted Cords and Ropes Would you have your houses robbed and spoiled because you go not to their Meetings Would you be banished and would you be put to death because you cannot submit to other mens wills Let the light in all your consciences answer Well the same measure that you have measured out to others even the same will be measured to you And do you think that these proceedings wil affect people to submit to your Commandments and Government Would you have such Laws made against you or executed upon you If not Repent of your doings and amend your wayes for though this may keep people in slavery a moment yet all who fears God or minds but the witness of God in their own consciences they will see you and seperate from you and not partake with you in your evil deeds And would you be called Magistrates for God Then do the work of God and abuse not your selves with mankind and turn not your swords against the innocent which should be against transgressors but you being in envy makes Laws contrary to the Law of God and contrary to the witness of God in every mans conscience and then you cry They have transgressed our Laws and breaks the l●udable customs of our Countrey How can any reasonable man keep them but wrong his own soul and sin against his own conscience And you that think to establish a Land by iniquity and build up an Assembly with blood and violence and think by this means to bring honor to God you dwell in thick darkness and are come to the mid-night thereof dreadful dreadful will the day of the Lord be unto you you shall cry to the Hills and the Rocks to fall upon you and hide you from the Wrath of the Lamb who now is risen in his mighty power out of his mouth proceeds a two-edged Sword flaming fire is gone before him and it is tempestuous round about him all the wicked and ungodly hypocrites shall be as driven s●ubble before his bow and he shall smite his Enemies in the hinder parts and break all their weapons of war and they shall be slain before his face In that day the hearts whom you have made sad shall sing and rejoice over you who would not have him to rule over you nor among you but shuts his members in prison and banishes his little ones who are dear unto him as the Apple of his eye he will arise to their joy and rejoicing and will appear to comfort all his and shame shall cover the face of all his Enemies Therefore all in New-England who have been deceived with the Wine of the Fornication of the Whore come out from among them and seperate from them and though they cast you out the Lord will receive you and though they waste and make spoile of your Estates the Lord will provide for you and become your Lord and Master and will provide for your Families and little ones and though they despise you the Lord will embrace you and the children of light will love you they that fear the Lord will receive you therefore all be valiant for the Truth and endure the cross and the light affliction which is but for a moment and you will

if there be Used not you and the rest of the Clergy to pray for the conversion of the Jews And are you now angry if any of them be turned from darkness to light But none can escape thy slanderous tongue without reproach Thou saist The juncture between the Jesuits and these Hereticks is strong Thou art nearer joined to the Jesuits then the Quakers for they and you in New-England are working one and the self-same work Will not most people in the Regions know thy lyes Is it not publikely known in many Countreys that two of the Quakers were imprisoned by the Pope and Jesuits at Rome lately and hath been put in the Inquisition and one of them prisoned till death and the other remains in prison under cruel bonds to this day and now read whether the juncture between the Jesuits and you be not great who are acting in one and the self-same Work and brings forth one and the self-same fruit the Apples of Sodom and the Grapes of Gomorah whom God destroyed which will be the end of all the wicked except they repent There is more danger thou saith in this people to trouble and overcome England then the King of Scots and all the Popish Princes in Germany Thy tongue is set on fire of Hell which makes thee utter forth all these horrid Lyes and false Accusations and bitter things against the Lord and his people and will not all sober people in England see thy envy Hath not England had sufficient proof of our fidelity against the King of Scots and the Popish Princes and Confederates with him And thousands in England shall be witness for us against thee and all thy false Accusations Thou saist They strengthen all disc●ntents against the present Government and hatch all Plots and encourages all combinations and insurrections The present Government of these Nations will be a witness for us against thee That amongst all the people in the Nations we have been most passive and suffering and the discontents and plots and combinations from time to time have been amongst the Presbyter-Priests and their Faction of whose stock and off-spring you are And further thou saist They vent horrid blasphemy against God which ought to be persecuted with the severest censures Thou art of that generation that called the Master of the House Beelzebub and in the steps of the persecuting Jews who said He hath spoken blasphemy what need we any more witness But how can we speak evil or blaspheme him who is our life And in the day when he ariseth to judge all the Earth in righteousness he will justifie us and clear us and condemn thy malignity and thy hard speeches and vain thoughts which lodge in thy corrupt heart from whence all these unsavourie words hath been uttered forth and is that New-England-Divinity to teach persecution that thou art so impudent to own it in words That which persecutes with the severest censures is of the Devil and is in Cain's way and dost thou lay down this for a Doctrine to Engl●nd to appease the wrath of God towards it I say Persec●tion and severe Censures ●s that which kindleth the wrath of God against these Nations and did overtake the Bishops the King and all their Confederacy and overthrew the Nobles of the Land the ancient and ●e honorable which were the head and all the false Prophets which were the taile and that same Wrath shall be over you who are of that stock and off-spring manifested by these deadly actions and characters of most horrid and wicked cruelty which the Lord God will confound and blast and set his Truth above it all And Iohn Indicot thou saist The quakers trouble us very much though we cause them te be whipt and sent away again and again yet they return again Thou maist see there is another spirit in them then was in you when you fled from old England from under the Bishops you would suffer nothing for the truth and therefore were you given up to the same spirit that was in the persecutors here in England this is entered into you now and become ten fold stronger but now he that is stronger then all hath appeared and is coming to trouble you and disquiet you of your rest which you have taken up in the Earth What hath your Gospel and the Ministers thereof no more strength in them to convince the gain-sayers then gain-sayers have to seduce them that are in the truth The daie of your trouble is come and the beginning of sorrows is kindled upon you a greater wo follows after for the Rod of God is stretched out over you and shall reach unto you and turn your counsels backward and confound you in the midst of your combinations Where did any Christian-Magistrates whip and imprison any for Religion's sake or conscience-sake or cut off their Ears Where is your Law Did any Minister of Christ perswade the Magistrate it was lawful for him to do so Give us some evidence and let us see your rule and by what Authority you do these things and from whence you have your Authoritie I am sure God never authorized it Christ nor his Ministers nor no Christian-Magistrate that ruled for God never countenanced any such thing as to whip again and again to beat with Ropes till men fall down as dead till mens flesh becomes as jelley as some of your own Nation have said and shall not the Saints be bold to tell you that this is of the Devil who was a lyar and a murderer from the beginning in whose footsteps you are who shall receive a reward according to your works And thou saist Divers of you do think that unless the Court do make a Law to banish them and not to return upon pain of death this Collony will n●t be rid of them Nay nor then neither though you make covenant with death and agreement with hell and shake hands with the Prince of darkness your Covenant shall be broken and your Confederacie disannulled and you confounded in the midst of your counsels What have you your Law yet to make to serve your turns It seems you act not by the Law of God which is made alreadie which is equal just and good and is for the transgressor of Justice Goodness and Equity but takes not hold upon the just equal nor good but you must now have another invented to satisfie your envious minds and to accomplish your wicked determinations and you that think to make a Law to banish and to put to death your thoughts are vain and wicked and God will bring them to judgement and condemn you for them for Christ came not to destroy mens lives but to save them but the Devil makes Laws to destroy and not to save Read your example and let shame cover your faces and astonishment fill your hearts that you should become so brutish and vain in your thoughts as to think to limit the Lord of Heaven and Earth Can you command the wind that it blow not Can you stop the bottles of heaven that they pour not ●orth water If you cannot no more can you limit the Lord And if you make any such Laws to banish or put to death it will procure the indignation and wrath of God more speedily then if the King of Scots and all the Popish Princes in the World did enter into the midst of your Land But this is come to pass that your hypocrisie and deceit might be made manifest in the sight of the sun and that all men may see what profession of words is without the life of Christ to rule in men If it should have been told you when you fled from this Nation what you would do in the time to come against God and his servants you would have said with Hazael Are we Dogs But the heart of man is deceitful unconverted and your deceived hearts hath led you aside Thou thinkest they are the worst Hereticks Thy eye being blinded and thy understanding darkened and thy heart full of envy how shouldst thou think otherwise But thy thoughts shall be discovered to thee and thou shalt be convinced of the evil of them Thou saist One whom many think is a Iesuit pressed for a conference with one of our Teachers called Mr. Norton but the quaker was quickly weary of it You live by your thoughts and knows nothing if he had been a Jesuit it 's like he might have had more favour from you And the Minister might be very bold knowing before-hand no evil was like to befall him having the Rulers with their Clubs on his side the Prison-doors and House of Correction readie to receive the Quakers the Gaolers and Task Masters with their Whips and butcherly fellows with their Knives to cut off their ears at the pleasure and wills of a company of envious men before whose face the fear of the Lord is not But it is like you will make the Quaker weary soon if he would look out at your cruelty if you did as sometime some of your Priests and Rulers caused to be done in New-England stop Napkins in their mouths and bound keys over their mouths that they could not speak and boast and say The Quaker had nothing to answer Well all these things are recorded and are written as with a Pen of Iron and they are engraved where they shall not be blotted out and you are registred among the uncircumcised with Mesech and Tubal the great Princes of Gog which makes war against the Lamb and his followers but the Lamb and the Saints shall have the victory and you shall be trodden as ashes under the Toles of their feet for they shall melt away that hate the Lord Reading the 16. of the 12. Month 1658. The End